Today’s problem of women has its origin in the vedic times. Women those days were considered inferior to women. They were equated with the Shudras/ati-shudras, (varna system) of the vedic religion. Women were not considered fit for spiritual attainment as they were not allowed to read Vedas. All the law books of Hindus have very distinctly written about their degraded status. Few verses from these Hindu law books are mentioned here. There are many a verses in the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas etc., which are very derogatory and obscene in nature and are avoided here:

“It is the highest duty of the woman to immolate herself after her husband”
-Brahma Puran. 80.75

“If a wife, proud of the greatness of her relatives or (her own) excellence, violates the duty which she owes to her lord, the king shall cause her to be devoured by dogs in a place frequented by many”
-Manu Smriti VIII 371

“In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to the sons; a woman must never be independent.”
-Manu Smriti V.148

The main reason for the suffering of women even today is the grant of low grade status to women in the law books of Hindu religion, like Vedas, Puranas, Manu Smritis, Bhagwad Geeta, Ram Charita Manas etc. Though these law books are superceded by the CONSTITUTION OF INDIA in the last 67 years legally, the Hindu shastras STILL control the mindsets of the people.

Through the CONSTITUTION OF INDIA, as the chairman of the constitution drafting committee, DR. BHIMRAO AMBEDKAR was instrumental in granting equal status to all the citizens irrespective of sex, religion etc. Thus the women, contrary to their low status as per Hindu law books, were for the FIRST TIME GOT EQUAL SATATUS LAWFULLY.

HINDU CODE BILL
The next landmark, pioneering work, which Dr. Ambedkar did was the “Hindu Code Bill”. He introduced this bill in the parliament on the promise from Jawaharlal Nehru that the bill will be passed as it is. He basically prepared this bill to empower women by way of giving property rights and giving rights in many other matters like marriage, adoption, divorce etc. However the orthodox Arya Brahmins who had the MINDSETS OF Manu Smriti did not allow this bill to be passed in parliament as it is. This bill was so dear to Dr. Ambedkar that he resigned from the Govt. in protest against the dropping of the bill. After his resignation, the bill was passed in bits and pieces.
The property rights section was immediately passed. This itself was a landmark in empowering women. THE ENTIRE CREDIT for this goes to DR. AMBEDKAR. The other sections of the Hindu Code Bill were passed in the form of following acts:
Hindu Marriage Act 1955
Hindu Succession Act 1956
Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act 1956
Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956

Inspite of the legal equality status provided by the CONSTITUTION OF INDIA, women in India are still being exploited in the society. If this problem of exploitation of women in our society has to be solved permanently, then a crusade against the law books of Hindu religion is required until it is wiped out from the minds of the people in India. This is the way forward for the women’s liberation movement.